Pack of Cards
by SamCyberCat
Summary: Two boys wait for a new card pack to be released and one of them may have his duelling style seriously affected by this. Ryo/Fubuki.


Notes – For the gx_100. Set pre-GX, when Ryo and Fubuki are children. On an off-topic note I unfortunately have to say that updates for stories will slow down a lot during the summer. I work through the holidays, and though I had enough written to see me so for I've now used up all my backup writing. This does not change that I still want to complete this challenge; it just means that it won't happen so quickly until my summer work is over.

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The shop half way down the street sold Duel Monster cards.

Which wasn't particularly unusual, as most shops that wanted to make any kind of profit from children in Domino sold Duel Monster cards.

The difference being was that this shop cared about selling them. Most places would have a box or two, shoved awkwardly on a shelf behind the counter and wouldn't take them down until specifically asked to do so. As a result of this they tended to only have older packs, seeing as the owners wouldn't bother ordering new boxes until the current ones had run out.

But this shop always had the new series of cards in quickly. Not as soon as they came out, but as soon as it was possible for a regular store to get them in after all the bigger name shops had paraded the new packs around first.

As if dragged there by a magnetic field two young boys were always there when the new packs arrived. About five minutes before opening time they stood, the brunette with his hands pressed against the glass, waiting for the doors to open so they could get the cards. Other kids spent their pocket money on sweets, but not these two.

The shopkeeper sometimes opened early for them, but the last time he'd done this his wife had given him some harsh words, so he busied himself behind the counter, pretending not to see them until nine o'clock had rung.

Outside, Fubuki strained his neck to see if he could spot the new box of cards, grubby hands still smudging the glass.

"It's no good, his head's in the way," he huffed, looking over at his friend Ryo.

Confidently, Ryo answered, "But he'll have them. This pack's been in the magazines for a few weeks, so he won't have missed them out."

"That's what you said yesterday…" grumbled Fubuki. The two boys had indeed checked the store everyday that week, refusing to spend a single penny on anything that wasn't the new card packs.

"They get deliveries on Thursday, and it's Friday today," reminded Ryo, who was the more logical thinker of the two.

A firm nod, followed by, "If he doesn't have them today then I'll… I'll…"

The empty threat trailed off. Both the boys liked the shopkeeper and wouldn't even consider going to buy cards from another store.

There was a jolt as the stiff old door of the shop was propped open. In the time they'd been talking the old man had finished whatever he'd been doing and was ready to face the day's customers.

"Good morning boys, and what can I do for you two fine fellows today?" he asked cheerfully, knowing what was coming.

"Have you got the… the new cards?" Fubuki asked, his face changing instantly from one of impatient annoyance to the bright grin of anticipation.

The man pretended to think of a moment, before saying, "I think we have some new packs in, why don't you go take a look?"

No sooner than the words had left his lips the two boys had shot over to the display, eyes widening at a box containing blue foil packets.

"This is the one!" cried Fubuki, holding a packet up for Ryo, a tough looking monster staring out at them from the cover.

Counting out the money from his pocket, Ryo bought two packs, hardly waiting for Fubuki to finish paying before opening them.

"Here we are again, just like every time," Fubuki laughed, looking over Ryo's shoulder, "We always get excited over these new packs and then when we open them there's never anything useful inside."

Ryo was silent for a moment, shuffling through the cards thoughtfully.

After he hadn't responded, Fubuki prompted, "Is there something actually good in there? Got a Mirror Force to replace that Negate Attack that's been bothering you?"

"No, I've got… well, fusion monsters," said Ryo quietly.

Fubuki made a dismissive noise in the back of his throat. Fusion monsters. They really were just making this set for the collectors. Everyone in his school class knew that fusion monsters were hardly playable at all. Even champions such as Yuugi Motou or Seto Kaiba didn't fuse monsters as much as people liked to think that they did.

"No, I have this," said Ryo, holding up a spell card with an image of an orange, clawed creature rising from the classic Polymerization card. It had 'Fusion Recovery' written along the top.

"What's that?" Fubuki asked, blinking at this card along with some of the purple fusion cards Ryo had in his possession.

"That's a card that allows you to bring back a Polymerization from your graveyard, along with one monster used for fusion material," the old man said to them.

"But that would make fusing monsters a lot easier," said Ryo, waiting for the catch.

"Yes, it does," agreed the man, "There's going to be a lot of cards coming that will make fusion more achievable for the average player."

Both of them stared at him in disbelief. Fusion decks that could work? That hadn't been the best sort of deck to manage before. There were plenty of deck types they knew that didn't work, but very few that actually did.

"The game's changing boys; it's not going to be nearly as limited as it once was," the man went on, smiling, "Maybe you two will be the first to start the new generation of fusion deck users."

"Nah, not me," said Fubuki, pocketing the new cards, "I think it's great that the game's changing and that people who want to fuse monsters will have a chance, but that's not my route personally."

He turned to walk out the shop, though Ryo stopped behind thoughtfully.

"What about you then? You don't talk very much," the shopkeeper commented.

"I think… I think I want to change the way fusion monsters are played," said Ryo, "But I'm not sure how yet. Maybe when I get a bit older the right deck will come to me."

He bowed politely to the man and followed his friend out.

What peculiar boys, perhaps they will change the game after all. Was what the old man thought as he waited for other early morning customers to arrive. He would certainly have to mention them when his friend Samejima came to town from the mountains to discuss the game with him. Perhaps he'd know of the fusion monsters that would put that boy in the right direction.


End file.
